Space Pinball
by Skyler McAndrews
Summary: John relieves his boredom during the long, lonely nights on Thunderbird 5.
1. Space Pinball

Title: Space Pinball

Author: Skyler McAndrews

Rating: PG

Pairing: John/ OC

Warnings: Fluff, I guess… And the bold writing is for the "computer conversation".

Movie/TV Verse: The Hood attacked like in the movie, but Alan, Tin-Tin, and Fermat are all older. (Also Brains and Fermat are father and son like in the movie.)

What exactly was John doing when the Hood launched a missile at Thunderbird 5? My ideas of what John might do to amuse himself in between International Rescue's missions. Random fluff, one-shot for now…

**_Somewhere in Space:_**

John stared at the screen in dismay; he'd lost… again. He groaned as he waited for his opponent to gloat. It didn't take long for the writing to appear on his screen:

**KC22: You lost… again flyboy.**

John rolled his eyes, thinking that the term "flyboy" better described his brother Scott.

**JTB5: Give me a break. I was warming up**

John waited for the reply, grinning as he imagined the response.

**KC22: LOL**

**KC22: I might believe you if this weren't our 6th round tonight.**

He laughed at how close he was to guessing the response. He absently glanced toward the clock set to Boston time and then looked again,

**JTB5: Aren't you tired, Kate?**

He asked surprised that the clock read 1:30 am. John checked the International Rescue monitors and glanced at the "Tracy Time" clock making sure that he needn't be worrying about a call from his father. John was relatively certain that his father wouldn't mind that he spoke online with someone, but with his father you never could tell.

**KC22: Why do you ask?**

** JTB5: Isn't it late there?**

** KC22: ****J**** Or early, it depends…**

** KC22: But how do you know?**

** JTB5: I am just that brilliant.**

** KC22: Oh please! You up for a rematch?**

John groaned. He glanced at the monitors again and decided that he had time to play another round, hopefully winning this time. Approximately 22 minutes later he was greatly disappointed

**KC22: Do you have a thing for pain, John?**

John rolled his eyes,

**JTB5: Not really.**

** KC22: And yet you keep playing me.**

** JTB5: I am learning your weaknesses.**

** KC22: Right…**

** KC22: For 11 months?**

** JTB5: What can I say? You have so many.**

** KC22: Watch it, flyboy. I can blow you out of the sky.**

John winced remembering the events of the last month, knowing that she really had no way of knowing how close to home her comment struck.

** KC22: Figuratively speaking of course**

** JTB5: Of course**

** KC22: Did you see the meteor shower last night?**

John grinned as he read the question. He looked out the window at the stars and thought about his response,

**JTB5: Yeah, it was beautiful. Did you see it, Kate?**

** KC22: Nope, it was cloudy last night.**

** JTB5: I took some pictures; I can e-mail them to you, if you want.**

** KC22: Sure, that would be great.**

**KC22: You're computer all fixed now, No more problems with it?**

John frowned before remembering his excuse for his abrupt departure when the Hood had attacked Thunderbird 5. He had told her that his computer had crashed from a virus his younger brother had accidentally downloaded from some site online.

**JTB5: It is working fine now, as good as new.**

** KC22: That's good; I was worried for a while, John.**

** KC22: You don't ever just disappear like that.**

John smiled, warmed that she had been worried about him, even though they had actually never met. They had met online in a gaming room when she had challenged him to match of Space Pinball. After she had thoroughly kicked his butt, despite the fact that he was darn good, they spent the next several hours discussing the game, family, astronomy, and life in general. Kate helped to relieve the boredom that sometimes crept in during his long stays on Thunderbird 5.

** JTB5: Sorry, Kate. I never meant to worry you.**

** KC22: Oh, I know that I was just saying.**

** KC22: Anyway, I should probably get some sleep**

**KC22: I do have to work tomorrow.**

** JTB5: All right, it was good talking with you.**

** KC22: Yeah… I missed you.**

** JTB5: Ditto for me, Kate.**

** JTB5: Take care.**

** KC22: Come on John, nothing happens in Boston.**

** JTB5: One can only hope.**

** JTB5: I'll talk to you later.**

** KC22: You take care too, John.**

** JTB5: Have a good day tomorrow, or today ****J**

** KC22: lol**

** KC22: You too**

** KC22: G'night, John.**

**JTB5: Goodnight, Kate.**

John closed the screen, and glanced toward the satellite image of Boston barely visible through the cloud cover still covering the city. He leaned back in his chair and smiled sadly to himself,

"Good night, Kate."

He flipped off the screen and headed toward his quarters to catch a few hours of sleep.


	2. Hearts

**Title:** Hearts

**Author: **Skyler McAndrews

**Rating:** PG

**Pairing:** John/ OC

**Warnings:** Fluff and Angst

_The bold writing is for the "computer conversation"._

**Movie/TV Verse:** The Hood attacked like in the movie, but Alan, Tin-Tin, and Fermat are all older. (Also Brains and Fermat are father and son like in the movie.)

What exactly was John doing when the Hood launched a missile at Thunderbird 5? My ideas of what John might do to amuse himself in between International Rescue's missions. Obviously, it is no longer a one-shot. Let me know what you think!

**_Somewhere in Boston…_**

Kate Williams frowned at the screen as "Player 1 wins," flashed across her screen in neon pink letters. She stretched her fingers and waited for it.

**JTB5: Do you see that?**

Kate groaned, and slowly typed her response.

**KC22: See what?**

**JTB5: Give me a break- the letters are neon pink!**

**JTB5: Which, if you will recall, is _your_ fault **

She stuck her tongue out at the screen.

**JTB5: Please stop sticking your tongue out at me, Kate**

Kate looked in shock at the screen.

**KC22: What?**

**KC22: HOW DID YOU KNOW?**

**JTB5: I imagined playing against my brother Alan; he would have stuck his tongue out at me.**

**KC22: I resent that, I think…**

**JTB5: Oh come on, wanna rematch?**

**JTB5: I'll even go easy on you**

**KC22: Oh you wait John-**

**JTB5: Bring it, baby!**

Kate sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. A woman peeked her head in the door,

"Are you alright, Katie?"

Kate smiled at the night nurse Allison Parker,

"Yes, thank you. My hands are just tired."

Allison shook her head,

"Then you should probably say goodnight to whomever it is that you talk to all night."

Katie smiled sadly,

"He's a friend, and we have a lot in common, besides…"

Allison smiled gently,

"Well, just type slowly then, dear. If you need me…"

Katie smiled,

"I know what to do."

Kate's laptop beeped again into the now silent hospital room on the fifth floor of the Children's Hospital in Boston. She looked back the flashing message box.

**JTB5: Kate?**

**JTB5: Are you still there?**

**KC22: Yeah- sorry about that…**

**KC22: I'll have to take a rain check on that re-match**

**JTB5: That's right!**

**JTB5: Afraid I'll whoop you again?**

**KC22: Yeah that's it, Captain Kirk**

**JTB5: …**

**JTB5: I am going to pretend like you didn't say that**

**KC22: Pretend away, oh mighty capitano**

**JTB5: So… how has school been?**

Kate winced at that question. She supposed that she could lie, but somehow it seemed so much worse lying to john, a guy she had never met in real life, only in cyberspace.

"Your loosing it, Williams," she muttered to herself before typing her response.

KC22: School is going as well as can be expected, all things considered… 

**JTB5: Some elaboration would be nice, oh vague one**

**KC22: I haven't been to classes in body in three weeks**

**JTB5: My God, Kate! Are you all right?**

**KC22: Yeah, it is just this thing…**

**JTB5: Are you sure you're all right?**

**JTB5: Do you need me to come out there?**

JTB5: If you want someone to be there for you, I'll come 

Kate tried to keep the tears of gratitude from falling. John, a man she had never met in person was offering to fly out to be at her side because he knew she had no family to speak of. Not one of her relatives had been to see her in 2 years. She clumsily swiped the tears away and started typing.

KC22: Don't worry about it, John… KC22: Hey- I challenge you to a game of hearts 

**JTB5: Kate…**

**KC22: Seriously, just click accept when the box appears**

**KC22: I am going to kick your butt!**

Kate held her breath, hoping that John would just let her evade the seriousness of her situation a little bit longer. A couple of seconds later John responded.

JTB5: Oh please… 

JTB5: The butt- kicking has barely begun 

Kate smiled and ignored the vague ache in her legs and concentrated on beating the pants off of her best friend.


	3. You've got Mail

**AN** I'm back. Sorry for the long wait, however, I have been student teaching and I barely had time to write my lessons before heading back to school. Now, it is break! SO, I am hoping to be updating like a mad woman. Enjoy!

**Pairing:** John/ OC

**Warning:** Fluff, and some angst

**Somewhere in Space:**

John looked at the weather radars nervously. There was a large storm system off the coast of Massachusetts, and it looked to be heading toward Boston. He could feel the tension in the back of his neck as he saw the islands communication light start flashing.

"Thunderbird 5," he said flipping the viewing screen on to see his father.

"How are things looking from up there?" Jeff Tracy asked.

John rolled his shoulder nervously,

"Well, it looks like there was no major damage from that earthquake in India. The local authorities and the United Nations seem to be handling the situation well."

Jeff nodded,

"That's good. Anything else? You seem a little tense about something."

John paused wondering whether or not to mention the storm system. Deciding to follow his gut instinct he replied,

"There is a large storm system off of the coast of Massachusetts, and it seems to have enough rotation to turn into a serious hurricane if the currents remain the same."

Jeff looked at the screen as John uploaded the weather radar screens over the network. He frowned,

"We'll have to keep an eye on that. Anything else?"

John shook his head,

"Nothing showing up on the radars so far, but I'll let you know."

Jeff nodded,

"Of course, son. How are you?"

John smiled,

"Oh, you know me. Just hanging around."

Jeff chuckled,

"Very funny. How is that friend of yours?"

John looked confused,

"What fri… Kate?"

Jeff shrugged,

"I guess, whoever it is that you speak to so often."

John looked self- conscious, and he rubbed the back of his neck nervously,

"I was going to tell you, but it never came up. This… friendship won't, doesn't interfere with my work for International Rescue."

Jeff's smile faded a little,

"John, I didn't mean to imply that. I know that you are dedicated to your work for International Rescue. However, I just wanted you to know that… I know that it is difficult for you, alone in Thunderbird 5 for so long. I… I'm sorry, and I don't mind at all that you have friendships with others besides the boys and I."

John relaxed and smiled at his father's image,

"Thanks, Dad. I know you understand. I'll keep in touch about that storm system."

Jeff Tracy nodded and responded, his serious tone belied by the small smile playing about the corners of his mouth,

"See that you do."

John jokingly saluted,

"Aye, aye, sir. Thunderbird 5 out."

"Tracy Island out."

John sat back in his chair and studied the storm system again, and frowned at it. Finally, knowing that he was only going to give himself tension headache, he got up out of his chair and headed toward his sleeping quarters. He tiredly stripped down to his shorts and pulled out a clean t-shirt, and collapsed onto his bed. He rolled over and started out the view port until stress and his own tiredness caught up with him and he fell asleep.

Boston 

Kate groaned quietly to herself as Jessica, the nurse on her floor, rolled her onto her side for her morning round of shots. The pain was ghosting up her spine, but she knew that it was phantom pain. Kate could no longer feel pain in her legs, those nerves had succumbed to her illness in the past few days, but the memories still existed. Kate refused to cry, because crying would mean giving in to despair, and acknowledging that she was losing this fight. Jessica then moved her onto her back. She looked sympathetically at Kate,

"Is there anything you need, Katie?"

Kate smiled,

"No thanks; just let me know when Dr. Hewitt is coming, all right?"

The orderly nodded,

"He is in a meeting at the moment, but he said as soon as he was finished he would stop down to talk to you."

Kate thought of something,

"Wait, Jessica, could you bring my laptop back over."

Jessica smiled,

"Are you sure that your up to it?"

Kate's smile grew ironic,

"I can't walk, but I can still type."

Jessica nodded and pulled the desk over to the bedside and positioned the laptop within Kate's limited reach.

"Thank you," Kate said laboriously pushing the button to power up the computer.

Jessica nodded and turned toward the door,

"If you need me, just give a buzz."

Kate nodded,

"You know it."

Kate waited until she heard Jessica's footsteps fade down the hallway. She then turned to the screen, and smiled when she heard the words, 'You've got mail'. She clicked over to open her mailbox and her jaw almost dropped as she saw there were 5 new e-mails. Unable to identify the fluttering in her stomach, Kate ignored the feeling and opened the first e-mail.

_Kate,_

_Where have you been? I looked for you last night, but you didn't come  
online. I hope that you are feeling all right. I'll be on again tonight, prepared to  
quick your butt at Pinball. Miss you!_

John 

She smiled as she opened the second e-mail, which was sent only minutes after the first.

_Kate,_

_I had a thought, well actually I had a lot, but this was one I wanted to  
share. Anyway, I was thinking, that I have some time off coming up soon, and maybe it would be nice if we could meet. It would be nice to see you in person. Anyway, yeah, so I'll talk to you later._

John 

Kate's smile faded as she read the e-mail. How could she let John see her like this? She swallowed the lump in her throat and opened the third e-mail.

_Kate,_

_About meeting, we don't have to. I mean you could think I am a serial killer. I am not, so we could meet someplace public, or at the state department offices or something, if you are nervous… I am rambling aren't I? Anyway, I miss you, so e-mail me._

John 

Kate laughed at his boyish nervousness. It was so… cute! Kate smiled as she thought of clam and collected John nervous. She smiled thinking about his face as he had typed the e-mail. Joy rose out of nowhere as she opened the fourth e-mail.

_Kate,_

_Umm, I just wanted to warn you that I have been practicing Pinball, so  
that you know, I am ready for you. I m sure you have been off preparing to beat me. So, I miss you. E-mail me._

John 

Kate smiled. She felt better than she had in months. She was so happy as she opened the final e-mail, that she didn't hear the measured footsteps of Dr. Hewitt,

_Kate,_

_I suppose I could ramble on again, but it would be pointless. I miss you, a  
lot. I miss our conversations. I was looking at the stars and thinking about you. So, that's what I wanted to say. I miss you._

John 

Kate felt her heart getting full and she felt as if she could fly at that moment as she slowly closed the e-mail program and looked out the window. She was startled out of her thoughts by a deep voice,

"Good news, Miss Williams?"

Kate gasped and whipped her head around to face Dr. Hewitt, who was standing in the doorway. She took a calming breath and tried to clear the stars from her eyes,

"Just a few notes from a friend."

Dr. Hewitt smiled speculatively,

"A friend?"

Kate shook her head,

"Just a friend."

Dr. Hewitt smiled,

"Well, I have good news for you."

Kate looked expectantly at the doctor, refusing to allow the hope in her heart to grow. The doctor walked and sat next to the hospital bed,

"There has recently been a breakthrough in a new treatment for you particular ailment."

Kate leaned forward as far as she could, the anticipation growing with each breath she took,

"A new breakthrough?"

Dr. Hewitt nodded seriously,

"You have been taking some of the newer drugs to suppress the symptoms. However, recently there were some patients in Maryland who were taking the same drugs to suppress the symptoms. Then, they underwent a stem cell transplant, and now the disease seems to be in full remission."

Kate could feel the excitement growing. She would be able to met John, she would be able to walk the stage in May, and she could…

Dr. Hewitt continued,

"Kate, we aren't sure yet what kinds of side effects this could have."

Kate took a deep breath and tried to stop daydreaming long enough to think through the implications,

"All right. So, the worst-case scenario is that this is a fluke, and I am going to get sick again. The best case scenario is that I will get better?"

Dr. Hewitt nodded,

"Yes, although…"

Kate held up a hand for a moment, as she thought about her own dreams,

"How much does it cost? Dr. Hewitt?"

Dr. Hewitt looked at her,

"That won't be a problem. The money your parents left you is still enough to cover all of your medical expenses. I just don't want you to get your hopes up, if it turns out to be nothing."

Kate looked out the window thoughtfully,

"Dr. Hewitt, when I was a child I could run, sing, play, and live like the rest of my friends. Now, I live in a hospital, where I can no longer even wheel myself to the nursery to play with the children. I have a friend who wants to meet me, and I want him to see me as I used to be, when I could walk, and even stand on my own. When can we schedule a transplant?"

Dr. Hewitt studied the young woman on the bed in front of him,

"You'll be ready by the end of the week. What are you doing Friday morning?"

Kate grinned nervously,

"Nothing that can't be moved to another morning."


	4. The Not so Perfect Storm

AN- I give up apologizing. I got a full time teaching job, met the love of my life, and I just can't seem to sit and write. Sorry. :-/ (About not writing, not about the rest of it…)

**Pairing:** John/OC

**Warning:** Fluff, some angst

Boston… 

Kate listened attentively as Dr. Hewitt explained the risks, and signed the appropriate paperwork. She listened when the anesthesiologist took over and started explaining what he was doing. She determinedly looked at the wall and ignored the sting of the needle into her arm, signaling that her IV was successfully inserted.

"Don't worry Kate, you'll be in and out before you know it."

She smiled, looking a little strained,

"My cousin really came with her baby, no questions asked?"

Dr. Hewitt smiled gently,

"There were plenty of questions, about the safety of the child, nothing else. You're family cares about you more than you know."

Kate shrugged and felt the room get a bit fuzzy,

"They say so, don't they…" she said, drifting through a hazy world where things kept slipping away.

"How soon will we know if the transplant was successful?" Kate asked vaguely feeling her stomach drop as the elevator moved.

Dr. Hewitt shook his head,

"Like we discussed previously, we should be able to see results within 2-3 weeks, and you should notice improvement within 4-5 weeks."

Kate nodded slowly and tried to smile through the fog that was quickly closing in on her,

"Just checking, I wouldn't want to find out that you changed your story now, Doctor."

Kate smiled and thought that she thanked the OR nurses for the well- wishes as she was wheeled into Operating Room 2,

"My lucky number."

Dr. Hewitt smiled,

"That's why we're here. Are you ready Katie?"

Kate tried to smile, but her attentionfaded and she saw the colors on the edge of her vision start to blur around the edges, her eyes dreamily drifted close, unaware of the anesthesiologist checking her pulse.

"All right people, let's do this successfully and quickly," Dr. Thomas, the head surgeon, stated as he entered the room, and the longest 4-6 hours of Kate's life began, completely unaware of the storm on the horizon.

**_Out in Space…_**

John refused to rush to the computers when he got up several hours later. He forced casualness as he keyed up the satellite feed following the weather patterns on Earth. He frowned again at the growing cloud swirling over the North Atlantic. Shifting the radar to zoom in on the growing storm region his frown deepened, and he keyed in the code for Tracy Island. John pulled up an instant messaging box on an open screen and tried to contact Kate, swearing quietly when her screen name stubbornly responded with her away message… again.

A few moments later the familiar tones of an incoming video comm signal rang out through the main room.

"Hey, Dad," John said turning back to the image of his father now taking up the main screen.

"What's the problem, John?" Jeff Tracy asked, concern lacing his deep voice.

John ran a hand through his already disheveled hair,

"That storm system that was hanging out in the Atlantic Ocean has intensified and is now heading straight toward the Massachusetts coast," he explained quietly and efficiently, "The center of the storm has started a clockwise rotation about the eye. It has a forward motion of about 20 knots, and the internal wind speed is approaching gale force winds."

Jeff frowned at the information appearing on his secondary screen as his son simplified the scrolling numbers. Brains frowned at his mini-pc as he analyzed the damage projections,

"N…nnnn…n…nnnnnnot good, Mr. Tracy. The st… storm s… seems to be hhhhheaded t toward Boston. Th… the d…dddamage to a cccity of B…Boston's ssssize would b…be ca…ca…cat…ta… horrible."

Jeff nodded distractedly, studying the map of the Massachusetts coast that John had uploaded,

"What is the time table that we are looking at, John?"

John blocked out his rising feeling of dread and calculated wind speeds, and checked the distance of the storm from the coastline,

"The storm is still about 26 miles northwest of Province town, which at the current speed puts it about 3.5 hours before impact in Boston."

Jeff nodded, and keyed in something off screen,

"Set the situation timer, and start uploading the rescue files. I will sound the alarm."

John nodded,

"Affirmative, Commander."

With that Jeff signed off, and John was left to deal with his feelings of helplessness and rising panic on his own. He looked toward the map of Boston and struggled with his code of ethics, and sense of privacy. John groaned and turned determined to track Kate's computer signal. He started slipping through the firewalls, bypassing routers, sorting through intranets, and surfing across networks, trying to triangulate exact signal of one lone laptop in the middle of a city the size of Boston.

He stopped about 10 minutes later to update and finish uploading the rescue files via satellite to the island network. He waited long enough to receive the green light from Brains confirming successful upload before turning back to his attempt to track down Kate's computer. John hit the figurative brick wall when he reached the Children's Hospital Boston intranet. He scowled at the screen in consternation before remembering that Kate had mentioned being sick,

"I didn't think she mentioned the hospital," he muttered, utilizing the superior computers of Thunderbird 5 hacking into the secure hospital network and doing a patient search on all patients with the first name Kate between the ages of 18 and 23. He frowned as he studied the single search result:

**Name: **Williams, Katherine Noelle

**Age:** 20

**Weight:** 136 lbs.

**Height:** 5'2"

**Blood Type:** A-positive

**Diagnosis:** Kugelberg- Welander Disease/ Spinal Muscular Atrophy: type III  
Progressive

**Onset:** Age 14

**Symptoms:** Tremors in the extremities, difficulty walking, movement became more difficult as time went on. Patient admitted in-patient status at age 18 due to family needs.

**Parents:** Robert J. Williams, father _deceased_

Patricia A. Williams, mother _deceased_

**Length of Stay:** 2 years 7 months

**Attending Doctor:** Dr. Jonathon Hewitt

**Room:** 543A

**Current Location:** OR 2

**Special Notes:** Currently 45 minutes into transplant surgery.

John stared in shock at the patient file, trying to connect the young woman on the screen to the young woman he knew only through e-mail and chat. They were the same age, parents had the same name, and she was staying in the hospital. Without knowing why, John glanced toward his e-mail and noticed that a new e-mail was from Kate, he opened the e-mail quickly, hoping for some answers. He noted that the letter was electronically dated about 2 hours earlier.

_John,_

_I know I have been a bit whacked, and not exactly myself, but I have been sick. Really, sick- I have been in the hospital. But, GOOD NEWS! There is a new treatment that is supposed to help me. So…the next time I e-mail you, I will be myself again :-) Hopefully..._

_If you still want to meet me, we can talk about it then._

_I missed you last night; I figured I should tell you._

_Kate _

John swallowed to wet his suddenly dry mouth and looked back at the storm heading straight for his helpless friend. Blocking everything else out, he set about notifying the city, and hospital about the approaching storm, hoping that the Thunderbirds would save the day this time.


	5. Another Day in the OR

_Note: This chapter mentions a level of weather prediction & a medical procedure that doesn't exist (yet). I have tried to keep the information as close to reality as possible when necessary! Sorry about the long wait!_

Dr. Thomas didn't falter when an operating nurse wiped his brow. There was no pause in his movements when Kate's heart rate dipped dangerously low into a sinus arrest for five minutes, following the injection of healthy genetic material into the spinal chord between thoracic vertebrae two and three. Dr. Thomas meticulously continued injecting healthy genetic material along with the synthetic stem cells every second vertebrae, and into the marrow of all the lower bones. He thought nothing of the nurses murmuring to the surgical resident until the lights flickered.

Dr. Thomas' hands didn't waver, but they did pause,

"Is there something I should be aware of?"

The head nurse cleared her throat uncomfortablely,

"An imminent danger warning was issued for Boston due to an incoming hurricane."

Dr. Thomas calmly continued his work for a moment,

"What damage zone is the hospital in?" he asked, referring to the National Weather Association's storm zones.

A nurse wiped his brow again, before answering,

"We are in the orange zone, with a 75% damage certainty."

"Damage level?" Dr. Thomas inquired gravely, thinking of the many patients in the hospital using life sustaining machinery, including the young woman in front of him.

"50%, if the storm doesn't turn," the CRNA responded, checking the patient's heart rate on the ECG.

Dr. Thomas refrained from heaving a sigh,

"Let's concentrate on getting Ms. Williams off the table." He said before beginning the complicated process of completing the delicate tissue transfer.

_**Space…**_

As he sat in the pleasantly climate-controlled environment of Thunderbird 5, John Tracy could not stop sweating. He wiped his hands on his pants for what seemed like the millionth time, before refreshing the hospital screen tracking Kate's progress in surgery.

John knew the exact moment that the NWA's bulletins hit the hospital intranet. He tracked the various steps that the hospital underwent in preparation: all generators were keyed up and ready to go, the steel hurricane curtains protecting either side of exterior windows were lowered and locked, and the basement parking garages were sealed off from the main building.

John took a moment to monitor the city's emergency responses and was pleased to see many of the improvements suggested by his father had been put into effect in Boston. After ensuring that they city was well into it's preparations John returned to monitor the hospital's Emergency Care Unit move from the ground floor to the first floor lobby; while nurses calmly triaged and moved the patients waiting. He heard the announcements that directed ambulances toward the closest alternate hospital to unload their patients.

All while the hospital and city prepped for the incoming storm, all John could think about was the status clock counting down the estimated time before Kate would be out of surgery. It seemed that the hospital time crept by, while the hurricane timer flew down the count.

John grimaced at his bad pun, as he keyed in the incoming call from

Thunderbird 1,

"Thunderbird 1 to Thunderbird 5," Scott's crisp military tone came through a split second before his image appeared in the main vid screen.

"I read you loud and clear, Thunderbird 1, status?"

"Checking up on those reports, John. Boston authorities have been notified?" Scott asked.

"Affirmative. City officials have initiated the city's emergency response procedures, and officially requested Thunderbird assistance." John replied.

"How's the damage looking?"

John eyed the maps, and architectural layouts of Boston, that he had pulled up, and shrugged,

"We may need to shore up the Bunker Hill Bridge's lower supports, and the Harbor will need to be cleaned of debris after the fact. Also, if major hospitals are damaged, we may need to evacuate the critical patients to less damaged hospitals. I have 10 hospitals in the Central Mass, and Southern NY area prepped and standing by to receive patients should we need to evac."

Scott nodded and glanced off screen for a moment,

"Virgil is checking in. I'll have he and Gordon prep TB2 for transport, before Gordon preps TB4 to shore up the bridge's supports."

"FAB, Thunderbird 5 out."

"Thunderbird 1, out."

John leaned back in his chair wishing, for the first time in his International Rescue career, that he was on his way to the disaster scene.

_**Boston…**_

Dr. Thomas was beginning to worry as he sutured his young patient's incisions. Every now and again he would have to pause to wait out the tremors that ran though the large building. Dr. Thomas waited before beginning to painstakingly close the final incision in the spinal column; one slip could cost his patient her life.

He was almost done, when he opened his mouth to address the anesthesiologist. Suddenly, the high shriek of an alarm pierced the relative calm of the operating room. A flurry of activity revolved around the prone patient as the monitors were checked to rule out machine error.

"Her heart rate is dropping," the anesthesiologist announced.

"Start a line of atropine," Dr. Thomas demanded, checking Kate's vitals, "We need to bring her out of bradycardia."

"Working on it," the anesthesiologist replied adjusting the laryngeal mask to increase the oxygen flow into Kate's mask.

"The heart rate is continuing to drop. We are approaching sinus arrest," the CRNA said urgently, studying the ECG.

Dr. Thomas calmly selected a syringe from the crash cart,

"Preparing the first dose of epinephrine."

The CRNA continued to watch the ECG,

"BPM is dropping below 60."

"Sinus arrest is worsening," added the surgical resident. Any response by Dr. Thomas was halted by the change in the heart monitor's alarm as the ECG registered a flat line.

"She's asystole," the CRNA announced unnecessarily.

"Start compressions," Dr. Thomas snapped quickly to the head operating nurse.

"Come on, Katie," someone whispered as the lights suddenly flickered and went out.

**Medical Terms and Abbreviations:**

_Sinus Arrest_- a pause in the normal cardiac rhythm due to a momentary failure of the sinus node to initiate an impulse

_Asystole_- is a state of no cardiac electrical activity

_Atropine_- alkaloid that blocks the vagus nerve causing an increase in heart rate

_Epinephrine_- neurotransmitter that increases heart rate

_CRNA_- Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist

_ECG_- Electrocardiography


	6. Shocking Strategies

AN- I apologize for the long hiatus, I have no excuse. Anyway, I have researched and written with as much medical know-how as possible for a lay person. Enjoy!

The lights flickered, and remained dark, but the lack of light did not stop the controlled chaos being orchestrated in OR 2. As a nurse continued chest compressions to keep Kate's heart pumping. Dr. Thomas checked the time, as the CRNA monitored her pulse,

"Still nothing."

"Continue compressions," Dr. Thomas ordered as the emergency lights flickered on courtesy of the back-up generators.

The alarm blared back into existence, as the surgical resident, gave the machinery a once over to ensure the power-outage hadn't disabled anything. A nurse rushed to the intercom when it started to flash and listened to the muffled voice.

Dr. Thomas never took his eyes off of his patient as he calmly inquired,

"What's the situation?"

The Head Nurse cleared her throat uncomfortably,

"The storm just hit the city's main generators in the Inner Harbor. All non-essential hospital activities are required to cease, and we are to prepare for evacuation."

Dr. Thomas studied the monitors, and listened to the CRNA's murmured observations,

"Well, this would not qualify as non-essential, so let's get through this as quickly and safely as possible for Ms. Williams' sake. Nurse Rawlings, if you would start the preparations for evacuation."

The Head Nurse nodded and began to quietly strap down equipment and prepare the Operating Room for the incoming storm. Dr. Thomas checked the rhythm again; ignoring the emergency outside his OR until the one _inside_ it had been resolved. He almost smiled as he said,

"It's shock-able, people, get me the AED... While we've got power, let's move!"

The resident handed him the charged control panel for the AED, as the nurse giving CPR moved out of the way, while an orderly quickly attached the leads to Kate's chest.

"Clear!" Dr. Thomas commanded calmly, initializing the electric charge, and checking the monitors for a heart rhythm. He frowned at the flat line on the heart monitor stubbornly remaining flat,

"Clear!"

_**Space…**_

John stared in horror at the image that greeted him when the hospital's back-up generator's kicked the video feed back up. He held his breath, and his hands clenched on the edge of the control panel as the surgeon shocked Kate, attempting get her heart started.

John had never felt so useless in his life. John had always been content with running the operations from Thunderbird 5. He didn't feel the need to always be in the middle of the action like his brothers. But somehow this was different; Even watching his brother's hadn't put him on edge like this. John idly wondered if his father ever felt like this.

John couldn't do anything but stare, and pray. He hadn't put much stock in his Grandmother's talk of prayer and God, after all it hadn't helped his mother; At that moment, John was willing to employ all the help he could get, and he closed his eyes briefly and cast a prayer out into the universe, hoping beyond hope that somewhere, someone would heed it.

John glanced over the many weather updates and emergency stations he was monitoring, never forgetting the job at hand, all while keeping one blue eye on Kate. He watched as the surgeon calmly directed his team through the crisis. John studied the situation timer, and the OR's clocks and found himself wondering how time could simultaneously move so quickly with the storm bearing down, and so slowly as the OR team struggled to bring Kate back.

_**Boston…**_

"Another shot of epinephrine, Hewitt." Dr. Thomas said, addressing the other doctor, feeling the sweat roll down his spine, but betraying none of his inner concern.

"10 minutes," Dr. Hewitt murmured, reminding him of the time their patient had spent in arrest, even as he injected the neurotransmitter into their prone patient.

"We have plenty of time," Dr. Thomas replied, "Clear!"

There was a pause, followed by the clear and reassuring beep of a heart rhythm as Kate's heart finally responded to the combined cocktail of drug and electric stimulation, and started to beat on its own. Dr. Thomas allowed himself one second to close his eyes in relief, smiling briefly at Dr. Hewitt as his colleague clapped him on the back, and the nursing staff gave a heartfelt cheer.

_**Space…**_

John jumped up from his seat, and allowed himself a moment of elation as he pumped his fist in the air with a joyous,

"YES!" resounding through the empty command center of Thunderbird 5. He danced a few steps around his chair before jumping back into the seat to study the weather satellites he was monitoring. His elation dimmed, as the images brought him firmly back to reality, and keyed in the contact sequence for Thunderbird 2.

"Thunderbird 5 to Thunderbird 2... Do you copy?"

"This is Thunderbird 2, we hear you loud and clear, what's the situation, John?" Virgil responded almost immediately, appearing on the main video screen.

"The National Weather Service is reporting wave heights reaching nearly 32 feet off the coast of Province Town. The In-Harbor wave heights are 25 feet, and they are rising as fast as the wind speed."

Virgil called to Gordon who responded from off-screen,

"Gordon calculates that he will still be able to use Thunderbird 4 to shore up the Bridge supports, and make any shoreline rescues necessary."

John nodded, running a few calculations of his own,

"How close will you have to be to launch him with that kind of chop, Virg?"

A shadow passed briefly across Virgil's face,

"Close; I know we will be cutting it close. Gordy's sure he can handle the launch alone, so I will have full control of Thunderbird 2; there shouldn't be much risk to 'my girl'."

John nodded slowly,

"Just watch yourself. The weather conditions are changing quickly."

Virgil shrugged,

"Makes it interesting I suppose."

John snorted,

"Don't let Dad hear you say that, or Scott for that matter."

Virgil smiled briefly,

"I wouldn't dream of it. We are about 1 hour and closing, in distance from the scene. I will contact you prior to Thunderbird 4's launch."

"F.A.B. and good luck, Thunderbird 5 out."

"Thunderbird 2 out."

Virgil's image had barely faded from the screen before Scott's appeared almost simultaneous to his cool voice echoing through the speakers,

"Thunderbird 1 to Thunderbird 5, Come In."

"Thunderbird 5 to Thunderbird 1, I read you, Scott. What's the situation?"

Scott's attention was clearly split as he calmly relayed his assessments,

"The wind is nasty, and causing a lot of damage. The edge of the storm has already knocked out power to half the city, including the "Hospital Corridor"," he said seriously, referring to the 10 blocks of hospitals in downtown Boston, "The water levels are up almost 12 inches, and continuing to rise- there will be massive flooding to the entire Inner Harbor, we are going to have to evacuate all non-critical personnel. How are the hospitals doing?"

John shrugged his shoulders unconsciously as his fingers flew over the control panels inputting all of Scott's assessments into the situation log,

"Harvard Medical has successfully evacuated all their critical patients, and is locked down to ride out the storm with their non-criticals on the upper levels."

Scott studied the readings on his screen and frowned,

"We'll have to check the stability of that building. Are they up to code with the 2035 Federal Emergency Building Standards?"

"Affirmative," John replied, "According to their last inspection, they are up to code. Beth Israel reports that they are about fifty percent through a total evacuation of their patients and personnel, as their building is not up to code. The National Guard is currently assisting them, and the last report I received stated they should be clear within the hour."

Scott nodded,

"F.A.B. I am setting up a Mobile Command Center now, and will contact them."

"Children's Hospital Boston is going to need some assistance from International Rescue. They have several critical patients that will need to be moved with complete medical teams, and there aren't enough helo-transports available."

Scott scanned the reports coming in, and nodded,

"I will have Gordon clear out the main bay in Thunderbird 2, and we can use that to transport the criticals to…"

"Lowell General Hospital is about 48 minutes Northwest of Boston, and well out of the storm's path. Their Critical Care department is prepped and ready." John interrupted, punching in the last of the information to the International Rescue Intranet, supplying the newest information to all of the Thunderbirds as well as Tracy Island.

"F.A.B., John. Good Work. Thunderbird 1, out."

"Thunderbird 5 out," John replied running a hand through his hair. He started to run another set of calculations through his computer system when Thunderbird 5's computer broke his concentration by announcing,

"Incoming vessel."

**Medical Terms:  
**_Epinephrine_- neurotransmitter that increases heart rate  
_CRNA_- Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist


End file.
